The text for the next mini-series of lessons is from Mark 8, although I don’t necessarily intend to go through every verse. In the first 10 verses of that chapter (Mark 8:1-10), Jesus fed about 4000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, with seven baskets of food left over. While that is an impressive miracle in its own right, it also ties into accounts later in the chapter.
Let’s pick up in verse 11…
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
Mark 8:11-13 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.8.11-13.NIV
As observed by 18th-century commentator Matthew Henry, here the Pharisees appear to be asking questions to trap Jesus, rather than to genuinely learn from Him. Furthermore, the fact that Jesus apparently didn’t stay long in that place suggests that maybe the Pharisees He met there weren’t particularly teachable (at least, not at that time). And, while we might think about others in the modern era who ask questions just to try and trap followers of Jesus in a logical contradiction or to make them look silly, I suspect that all of us have asked questions sometimes that were meant for effect (rather than us actually seeking a real answer).
Now, elsewhere Jesus said that this generation would only be given “the sign of the prophet Jonah” (see Matthew 12:38-42; see also Luke 11:29-32). I interpret the difference between that “one sign” and Jesus offering “no sign” to these Pharisees as either, 1) Jesus not giving any sign to the Pharisees at that time (since Jesus being raised on the third day wasn’t going to happen until later), or 2) Jesus not providing a sign in the way that the Pharisees wanted. After all, Jesus performed many, many miracles, including the feeding of thousands of people with just a little bit of food, not to mention the number of people He healed. Matthew Henry suggests, though, that these were signs from earth (where Jesus’ followers lived and could observe), not “signs from heaven” (like the Pharisees had requested). Still, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit had affirmed God the Son at Jesus’ baptism, so there was even a sign from heaven there, if the Pharisees had actually considered what had already been given them to confirm Jesus’ ministry, message, mission, and “makeup” (i.e., being both human and divine).
As a result, for the Pharisees to tell Jesus to basically “prove it” sounds more confrontational than actually being interested. If they didn’t believe everything else Jesus had said and done, I’m not sure that anything else would convince them. Do you remember how, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (see Luke 16:19-31), the rich man wanted to warn his brothers, but Abraham replied that “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (see Luke 16:31) Given the context here, it seems that perhaps these Pharisees wouldn’t even be convinced if Jesus had given them a sign from heaven…or even if He was raised from the dead.
So, the next time we have a question for God, or even for a member of the church (whether a pastor or not), while it’s OK to ask genuine questions of all kinds, let’s make sure that we’re really interested in the answer. And, let’s check to see if perhaps the answer has already been provided to us. Don’t be afraid to ask – just don’t use the process of asking as a cover for being antagonistic or resistant to the truth.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for October 19, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). Matthew Henry. 1706, via BibleGateway.com.
Those Who Sin Differently 